Three models of China's Xiaomi Mi phones are pictured during their launch in New Delhi July 15, 2014. China's Xiaomi said it intends to invest heavily in India as the budget smartphone maker launched on Tuesday its flagship Mi phone and other products in the world's third largest smartphone market, currently dominated by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
REUTERS

The HTC One M8 was released in the first quarter of 2014, whereas the Xiaomi Mi4 has recently been launched in July. The Xiaomi Mi4 handset is now available for purchase in selected regions worldwide. However, global release can be expected in the third quarter of 2014. The HTC One M8 and the Xiaomi Mi4 come packed with killer specifications that can give all the other top-sellers a run for their money. Readers who are interested in the HTC One M8 or the latest Xiaomi Mi4 should check out this specifications, features and price comparison.

Display, Exterior and Size

Surprisingly, both the handsets feature the same 5.0-inch display bundled with a good screen resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels and 441 ppi pixel densities. However, the display technology varies. The HTC One M8 uses Super LCD3, whereas the Xiaomi Mi4 uses Sharp/JDI OGS full lamination display.

These killer screen resolutions combined with impressive pixel strength provide stunning viewing experience in the humongous screens of One M8 and Xiaomi Mi4. The HTC One M8 features a bold, brushed metal design packaged with a wrap-around unibody frame, curved to fit the hands comfortably. Hence the handset provides the much-loved metallic look.

Even though the phone is made of plastic, Xiaomi has earned the reputation for quality build of Mi series of phones. The plastic used in the Xiaomi Mi series of phones provide premium look with its metal-like body accompanying the glass display.

Nevertheless, both the phones do not feature dust/water resistant exteriors. The thickness and the weight of Xiaomi Mi4 are 0.35-inch and 149 g respectively, whereas the HTC One M8 is 0.37-inch thick and weighs 160 g.

Hardware, Software and Memory

Both the phones are powered by the same quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) Krait 400 processor. Nevertheless, the Xiaomi device is clocked at 2.5 GHz, whereas the HTC device is clocked at 2.3 GHz. Furthermore, Xiaomi Mi4 houses a superior 3 GB of RAM, while the HTC One M8 houses only 2 GB of RAM.

HTC One M8 runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat OS (upgradable to higher versions) with HTC Sense 6 UI, while the Xiaomi Mi4 runs on Android v4.4.3 KitKat OS with MIUI 6 UI. When it comes to memory, Xiaomi handset offers 16 GB and 64 GB of internal storage, whereas the HTC handset offers 16 GB and 32 GB of in-built storage. While the Xiaomi Mi4 does not support microSD card, the HTC One M8 comes with expandable memory option up to 128 GB.

Camera and Battery

The Xiaomi Mi4 sports 13 MP rear-facing camera with dual-LED flash, whereas the One M8 houses a unique 4 UltraPixels rear-facing camera unit with dual-LED flash. Interestingly, the primary camera unit of the HTC One M8 has 2 lenses (Duo Camera) to capture picture-perfect images. When it comes to secondary camera, the Xiaomi trumps the HTC device with a surprisingly good 8 MP camera, while the One M8 houses a 5 MP front-facing shooter. The Xiaomi Mi4 can shoot 4K (3,840 x 2,160) videos, whereas the HTC smartphone can't.

Furthermore, the Xiaomi Mi4 houses a killer Li-Ion 3080 mAh battery unit, whereas the HTC One M8 comes with a relatively inferior Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery unit. However, both the batteries are not user-replaceable.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi supports WCDMA at this point, but a new variant is expected to hit the markets later this year with LTE support. Moreover, the One M8 comes in silver, gold and grey hues, whereas the Xiaomi Mi4 comes in the standard black and white shades.

Price and Release Date

The HTC One M8 16 GB (4G LTE) is priced at AU$649.95 in Australia. The Xiaomi Mi4, on the other hand, is priced at US$449 (roughly translates to AU$482) at this point. The handset is now available for purchase in Oppomart. In addition, interested readers can buy the Xiaomi handset from Xiaomi World for US$459.99. However, the Xiaomi Mi4's release date in Australia is unknown at this point.

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